The Event • The nation’s top collegiate golf programs will converge upon Las Vegas this weekend for the Southern Highlands Collegiate Masters. The prestigious event annually attracts the country’s best college golf teams, and each year ranks at or near the top of the collegiate golf schedule in terms of strength of field.

• Cal is the defending team champion, as it won last season’s event by 13 shots with an 8-under 856. There was a four-way tie for first among individuals at 4-under 212, with Patrick Rodgers knocking in a birdie on the first playoff hole to claim medalist honors.

• Stanford seeks its second straight win after capturing the team title at the Prestige at PGA West (Feb. 17-19).

The Field• This season’s 15-team field includes seven of the top-10 teams in the country, and all 15 teams are ranked in Golfweek’s top 50. Even more, 20 of the top-30 ranked individuals in the country are scheduled to play.

The Format• The 54-hole stroke play event will feature 18 holes each day. Team and individual ties will be broken by a sudden death playoff.

The Course• Situated in the southwest foothills of Las Vegas, Southern Highlands Golf Club is a par-72 track which will play at 7,510 yards. The private 18-hole golf course was co-designed by Robert Trent Jones and his son, Robert Trent Jones, Jr.

Quotable• Knowles Family Director of Men’s Golf Conrad Ray previews the event …“The team is looking forward to competing well and testing their games on a great golf course like Southern Highlands. This event features many of the top squads in the country, and it will produce a very good opportunity to see what we have and where we are going at this juncture. The course conditions are typically tour quality with fast greens and tucked hole locations, so patience will be key on and around the greens. Our guys are feeling confident and ready to go.”

Prestigious• Patrick Rodgers claimed medalist honors at the Prestige at PGA West (Feb. 17-19), finishing the 54-hole event with a 9-under 204 (65-68-71).

• Rodgers held off Arizona State’s Max Rottluff, who finished at 8-under for the tournament. Joining Rodgers in the top-10 were teammates Cameron Wilson, who tied for fourth at 6-under, and Jim Liu, who was tied for seventh at 4-under.

• Stanford won the team title at PGA West’s Greg Norman Course by surviving a late charge by Washington, which narrowed a 14-shot deficit with a final-round 14-under to finish two shots behind the Cardinal (269-280-282, 831, -21).

On the Big Island• Stanford tied for seventh at the Amer Ari Invitational (Feb. 6-8), played on Waikoloa Kings’ Course. The Cardinal began the tournament in 12th after one round, but rallied back for a top-10 finish to open the spring portion of the schedule.

• Cameron Wilson’s 202 (67-65-70) put him at 14-under to lead all Cardinal with a third-place finish.

Royal Finish• Stanford finished second at the Royal Oaks Intercollegiate (Oct. 28-29). The Cardinal posted respective teams scores of 349-346-350 as its finish was Stanford’s fourth top-10 showing in as many events for the fall, and third top-five performance.

• Patrick Rodgers and his final-round 65 was the best score of any Cardinal in the event. Rodgers (70-71-65) tied with Cameron Wilson (69-67-70) at 206 for eighth place.

Sweet Georgia Rounds• A two-over-par 290 on the third and final day of the United States Collegiate Championship earned the ninth-ranked Stanford Cardinal a tie for seventh. The three-day event at The Golf Club of Georgia’s Lakeside Course saw the Cardinal post collective scores of 288-288-290 (866).

• Patrick Rodgers started the third round tied for 41st, but was the low man in the third round with a 67 to finish 2-under on the weekend. Rodgers (75-72-67, 214) tied with Cameron Wilson (69-71-74, 214) for 15th overall.

• Stanford’s 13-under 851 bettered second-place UCLA by eight strokes, with Southern Methodist and Oklahoma tying for third at 863 among the 14-team field.

• The Cardinal carded respective rounds of 280-285-286 at the par-72, 7,234-yard Erin Hills Golf Course, which is slated to play host to the 2017 U.S. Open.

• To end his path to the individual title, Rodgers was nearly bogey-free in the final round, standing at 4-under for the day until recording a six on the par-5, 637-yard 18th. Rodgers shot an even-par 72 in round two and used five birdies to help close his opening round with a 68.

• Rodgers was one of four Cardinal to finish in the top 10, flanked by David Boote (71-72-71), Cameron Wilson (69-72-73) and Jim Liu (72-69-74). Boote and Wilson tied for sixth with a 2-under 214 while Liu checked in at 1-under to tie for 10th.

Fall Opener• Cameron Wilson (75-65-70, 210, E) tied for the individual medal and led Stanford to a fifth-place finish (295-287-290, 872, +18) at the Olympia Fields/Fighting Illini Invitational, held at the Olympia Fields Country Club North Course.

Next Up• The Cardinal returns home to play host to the United States Intercollegiate (March 28-30).